


Set Fire To The Rain

by alisha_winchester_collins



Category: Slither (2006)
Genre: F/M, Flirting, Fluff, One Shot, Stranded Together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2017-12-08
Packaged: 2019-02-12 06:46:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12953625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alisha_winchester_collins/pseuds/alisha_winchester_collins
Summary: You and Grant Grant get stranded during a rainstorm, forcing the two of you to spend the night together





	Set Fire To The Rain

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MistressOfCobblepot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistressOfCobblepot/gifts).



“Great, this is just great.” You muttered under your breath when the first raindrop hit your forehead.

Of all the days, it just _had_ to be this very day that there was a rainstorm? While you were waiting at the bus stop; you were on your way to visit your parents who lived in Charleston, and the only mode of transportation for you from the quaint little town of Wheelsy you called home, was the local South Carolina bus, that was delayed. By an hour. So now, not only were you stranded at the farthest part of town, there was no one else for miles around either. Your car had been towed away into the garage a week ago and had shown no signs of being repaired on time, which left you in this current predicament.

“Could this day get any more worse?” Sighing loudly, you straightened the hem of your dress before sitting down on top of your suitcase - sheltered though you were, the bus stop had no bench.

The answer to that question came much sooner than you had expected; once the heavy downpour of rain began, several cars began to pass your way and though none of them ended up splashing you thankfully, not a single one of those cars stopped! In the span of a half hour, you counted at least 4 cars leaving Wheelsy without so much as a glance in your direction. Soon you felt that perhaps the thought of walking back into town, a mile or so away, was the only option you had left. And yet, by the time you were on your feet and getting ready to pull your luggage and venture out from the shelter into the cold and wet and gloomy weather, something unusual happened.

A dark blue Chevy sedan that you could see driving along the road suddenly stopped right in front of you. The rain was more of a light storm now and so you couldn’t see who got down from the car, but you were able to make out a tall figure underneath an umbrella, walking over to the bus stop; as soon as the umbrella lifted up though, you found yourself face to face with an unfamiliar man.

“Are ya alright ma’am?” He was taller than you, older as well; but with those big round glasses that showed off bright blue eyes and the way he held himself made the sudden fear in your heart fade away.

“I-I’m fine… just stranded, I think the bus has been canceled.” You didn’t think twice about the slight stammer in your voice, it was surely because of the cool breeze in the air, wasn’t it?

“That’s a damn shame, might I offer ya a ride?” Whether it was the polite Southern accent or something else entirely, this man seemed nothing but sincere to you. Military you guessed.

“Yes, thank you.” You found yourself agreeing to the offer.

Even though you had no idea who this stranger was, you realized that in this last minute, you’d felt safe by simply being in his presence. And it wasn’t like there was any other choice; staying out here in this horrible weather was out of the question and you weren’t about to walk back into town either.

With a smile that would’ve rivaled anyone else’s, he gestured towards the passenger door and covered you with the umbrella. The second you put your hand to open the door was exactly when he had moved to do the same. In that moment, your hands brushed against his and the two of you glanced at each other, you dropped your hand away… a little too quickly perhaps, and turned so as to hide the burning in your cheeks.

“Here, allow me.” Was all he said to you once the door was opened; his hand outstretched to take your suitcase.

Wordlessly, you gave your single piece of luggage to him and slid into the passenger seat, hoping to calm your heartbeats that had begun thumping faster, for absolutely no reason at all. Less than a minute passed by and you opened your eyes when you heard the driver’s door open.

“The name’s Grant Grant by the way.” Shaking off the rain from his jacket, Grant reached into his pockets and pulled out a handkerchief to clean his glasses.

“I’m Y/N.” You replied almost instinctively, trying not to stare as you saw those blue eyes gazing your way.

“And where might you be headed Miss Y/N?” Grant asked as he started up his car once more.

“Charleston. I… I hope I’m not taking you away from wherever it is you’re headed… Mr. Grant.”

“Well I’ll be! I’m headed ta Charleston meself so it ain’t gonna be a problem.” He grinned and reached for his seat belt. “And ya can call me ‘Grant’ ma’am.”

“Only if you promise not to call me ma’am.” You found yourself smiling in spite of yourself and turned to pull the seatbelt out.

Whatever little good luck you thought you’d managed to discover in these last several minutes on meeting Grant Grant and having a ride to where you needed to go, disappeared on you again. The seat belt moved about an inch before it got stuck and refused to budge. No matter how hard you tugged on it, the mechanism seemed to have locked… or some such thing. Grant had noticed the problem however, and before you knew it, he had reached over in his seat to help. There he was, centimeters away from your face, one of his hands - big hands you noticed - going to yank the seat belt out, while the other was braced against your seat. You could feel his warm breath on your cheek and for a second you wondered if you’d stopped breathing entirely.

“Sorry about that, stupid thang gets locked every now an’ then.” Grant said as he _finally_ pulled it free and began to slide it over you, his hands hovering at a safe distance over your chest, moving lower, towards the hem of your dress.

“You should see my car, it’s not in the best state either.” How you were speaking was beyond you; everything about Grant being _so close_ had led you to silently accept the fact that yes he was attractive… for someone you’d just met… and you were thinking about this… a lot.

Somehow you managed to take the seat belt from his hand and buckled up almost immediately. And that was that. The moment had passed. Grant was already driving away from the bus stop and out of Wheelsy at long last. You were aware that the drive to Charleston would take a few hours, but the company was pleasant enough that you didn’t realize how the time passed. It was warm in the car, Grant was equal parts a talker and a listener as the two of you struck up a casual conversation, plus he had good taste in music as the radio played some of your favorites along the way; all of this combined with the rainy afternoon that soon turned into evening made you feel like everything was going to be okay. But neither you nor Grant could predict how the rest of the day was going to go, for this was just the beginning. Both your lives were about to change.

“So… Y/N, may I ask why’re ya headed ta Charleston? It’s a long ways away from Wheelsy.”

“Yes, it is. My parents live in Charleston, with my grandmother. She hasn’t been keeping good health lately, I’m going to visit her and spend time with my family.”

“I hope it’s nothin’ scary.”

“I hope so too.” You said and then dived right in with a question of your own. “And what about you Grant?”

“I’m headed ta see a friend o’ mine, it’s been a few years since we’ve met and he’s been naggin’ me ta come visit. So I figured why not?”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah, feels nice ta get out of Wheelsy for a while, y’know?”

There was something about the way Grant spoke that made you turn your head to glance over in his direction; a soft sadness seemed to be reflected in his eyes as he met your gaze for a second, but as soon as you’d noticed it, it vanished. Even before he turned his eyes back to the road. You didn’t say anything but quietly nodded your head.

Though you had no map with you, it had been quite easy to gauge the distance of the drive when Grant drove past the road signs; the trip was more than halfway done and soon, perhaps only two hours from now, you’d be in Charleston, meeting your family… and Grant… he would be on his way to stay with his friend you supposed. Any and all thoughts that you may have dwelled on over the course of the drive, about asking Grant if the two of you might see each other again while staying in town, thoughts you had been working up the courage to voice out loud to him, were suddenly impossible to say; for as soon as you had started to speak, the car lurched forward once, twice and began to sputter loudly before it simply broke down. Thankfully, Grant managed to steer the car towards the side of the road, even as it smoked and then slammed the brakes as he smacked a hand against the steering wheel.

“Stupid car! I knew I shouldn’ta trusted that good for nothin’ salesboy o’ mine!” Grant cursed as he fumed.

“Sales boy?” You couldn’t help but ask; Grant had mentioned early on that he owned a car dealership back in Wheelsy and you assumed this was his Sedan. The look on his face said otherwise.

“This ain’t my car.” He said, as if reading your mind. “Jus’ like yours, mine’s in the workshop, been there since Friday. And the new staff member gave me this as a spare. He said it was identical ta my own car and would be a smooth ride.”

“So the seat belt…?”

“It was the first thing I noticed that was wrong with the car, figured maybe since nothing else had broken or gotten stuck… but it looks like everything I was promised with this _spare_ has turned out ta be a big fat lie.”

“What do we do now Grant?” Maybe it was the fact that you had used the word ‘we’ or it could have been the calm but still worried look on your face, but when Grant met your gaze for the first time since the car had stopped, he felt the anger and frustration cooling down in that moment.

“Well dontcha worry ‘bout a thang sugarplum,” Grant said and smiled, “I'll check it out and see if I can't fix this old heap o’ metal up in no time.”

And with that, he opened the car door and headed towards the front to open up the bonnet and see what the problem was. For a minute after he'd left, you sat there staring at nothing as his words echoed in your mind. _Sugarplum._ It was… the nicest thing you had ever heard… and Grant had used it for _you_. He sounded so sincere in that moment, reassuring you that he was going to fix this problem; the tiny flutterings in your heart were returning once more and would have distracted you had your eye not caught a glimpse of the umbrella stashed away in the backseat.

“Oh!” Grant had not remembered to take the umbrella with him.

You heard him tinkering away outside as he kept his head buried under the hood of the car. Along with the occasional grumbling, he clearly did not seem to notice the rain or wasn't bothered by it; but you weren't about to just stay inside and let Grant catch a cold. Without thinking twice, you grabbed his umbrella, got out of the car and walked over to where he worked, making sure that the two of you were shielded from the rain.

“Y/N! What… what’re ya doin’ out here?” It hadn't taken him more than a few seconds to sense your presence.

He turned away from his work to stare at you, wondering what on earth had possessed you to leave the car and get soaked in the rain. There was a tiny spot of grease on his forehead already and his glasses were misted from the smoke.

“You left your umbrella in the car. I can't have my savior getting wet in the rain and catching a cold.” Saying as much, you wordlessly handed the umbrella to him.

“Uhm…” Grant barely was able to get another word out before you reached up and carefully removed his glasses.

A part of you was well aware of what you were doing, something a little more bold and daring than you had ever been, but the other half of you was too caught up in the moment to dwell on this.

You used the hem of your dress to wipe away the smoke from his glasses and when you handed them back to him, you even dared to step closer, putting the distance between you and Grant to a minimum as you gently rubbed off the spot of grease from his forehead. By now, your heartbeats had gotten so loud you were surprised Grant couldn't hear them. Time seem to have frozen for the two of you just then… standing so close to each other, sheltered from the rain, your hand caressing his forehead… if you moved a little closer…

It was at that moment did the reverie you'd found yourself in break. Almost instinctively, you stepped back, away from Grant and about to say something… when his hand caught your wrist.

“Thank you Y/N.” His voice was soft, his eyes betraying nothing about what had just transpired, the smile never leaving his lips.

“I… you… you're welcome.” You replied, knowing all too well that your cheeks were burning up.

“I am sorry though, I promised ta get ya to yer family in Charleston and it looks like that ain’t happening now.” He gestured to the car that clearly looked in need of repairs.

Sighing softly, you turned around to look at your surroundings, trying to gauge where you had broken down. Everything was completely… deserted. At some point in the journey, Grant had turned into a smaller path that passed through farmlands, and yet there was no civilization in sight. The road showed no signs of any approaching vehicles… for all intents and purposes, the two of you were alone. There was also the fact that you could see the sun slowly beginning to set; it would soon be dusk and when night fell… where was that fear in your heart now? It didn’t seem to have returned and you wondered if it had anything to do with the man standing in front of you.

“That’s all right.” You found yourself saying, meeting Grant’s gaze, “I’m sure we can still figure something out.”   

“First let’s get back inside before ya catch a cold.” Seeing your unusual sense of optimism despite the current situation you were in, Grant resolved to make the best of this predicament.

Once the two of you were seated in the car once more, it didn’t take more than several minutes of thinking before Grant let out a cry of delight as if an answer suddenly seemed to come to mind. You didn’t get a chance to ask him what he had thought of though, for almost as soon as he had his eureka moment, he leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on your forehead almost as if instinctively and got out of the car again, telling you to wait.

And so you did. Sitting in the passenger seat, staring after him, your mouth slightly agape as you processed what had just happened; Grant had _kissed_ you on your forehead. In his happiness over finding an answer, he hadn’t realized what he had done… but you knew that this was something you weren’t going to stop thinking about.

“Aha! I knew I was right.” Grant exclaimed as he returned to you, with a gleeful smile lighting up his face.

“What is it Grant?” You had taken the few moments that he was away to calm your nerves, to the best of your ability.

“I thought I saw a sign when we was outside. There is. To a farmhouse that’s just around the corner. Shouldn’t be more than half a mile’s walk.” He explained.

“Are you sure about that? I didn't think there was anyone living for miles around here.” Was it really possible that someone lived nearby and would be able to help the two of you?

“Well there must be somethin’. Would ya want ta stay in the car while…” Grant began to say but was almost immediately interrupted before he could finish.

“No!” You exclaimed, perhaps a little too quickly, but Grant said nothing. “I… I'll come with you.”

“Alright then.” Walking over to the passenger side of the car, Grant opened the door for you and this time, you both remembered to take the umbrella.

The walk towards the farmhouse didn’t take very long and even though there was little said between you and Grant, you couldn’t help but glance his way every few minutes. Grant looked like a man on a mission; determined to make sure that there was somewhere to take shelter for the night, for both your sakes. However, it seemed that fate had other plans. By the time you both reached the farmhouse, which was most certainly exactly where Grant said it would be, it became very obvious that it was…

“Empty.” Your heart sank a little at the sight in front of you; a simple two story house stood in the middle of a field, it would have been the perfect place to stop, if not for the fact that there were no signs of anyone having lived there. For quite some time.

“Let’s be sure o’ that.” Grant tried to sound reassuring as he walked ahead.

Once you joined him on the front porch, you could see that the house was much older than it looked from a distance - the paint was starting to chip off, parts of the building were dark and damp from the weather, but despite everything, the locks had held firm. A shiver went down your spine and you were sure it was because of the cold; this house definitely didn’t seem welcoming enough anymore. Grant had walked around to the back, but even though you could hear his footsteps creaking behind the house, you couldn’t shake the fear that was starting to build in your chest. Here you were, alone in the middle of nowhere, with only a dark and desolate house, night almost falling _and_ a rainstorm that didn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon.

“Grant?” You called out to your companion when you suddenly realized you couldn’t hear anything after a minute had passed in complete and utter silence.

The umbrella was where you’d left it, leaning against the side of the house. You had been staring out at the twilight sky, watching the clouds get darker and the rain get heavier, but now you were very aware that Grant wasn’t there. Of course he would have vanished all of a sudden; that wasn’t about to stop you though. As soon as you resolved to set off to look around to see where he had gone off to, you heard loud footsteps heading your way once more, only this time, they were coming from _behind_ you. Before you knew what had happened, you had backed up into something firm and strong.

“Ah!” A soft yelp escaped your lips as you felt big arms grabbing a hold of yours.  
  
“Y/N?” Grant’s voice broke through the fearful thoughts that were playing in your mind and without thinking twice, you turned and buried your head in his chest.

“Grant! Oh, Grant, I thought something had happened to you.” Your arms were around his neck and you could feel his hands moving to your waist, pulling you closer to him as you took in his warmth.

“I am sorry about that, I didn’t mean ta disappear on ya… but I have some good news.” When had he started to gently rub your back? You didn’t know but it was helping calm you down.

“Good news?” Hearing that you pulled back just enough to meet his gaze and see the soft smile he was giving you.

“There’s a barn just behind the house. It ain’t ideal but it’s much better than stayin’ in this old creaky place. What say you an’ me go check it out? Together this time.”

“O… okay.” Before you moved away from his hold completely, Grant quickly removed his jacket and draped it around your shoulders.

And when he reached for your hand, you didn’t hesitate, together the two of you walked across the field for a few hundred yards. Grant was right about the barn; it was in a much better state than the house itself and though not the most ideal of places, this was the better option.

“If I go back to the car, I might be able ta move it off the road and get our suitcases here in no time.” Grant said as he took in the surroundings of the barn.

“Alright, I’ll stay back.” You said, feeling a lot safer than you had a few minutes ago.

This was an unfamiliar situation, but something about the place was calming; perhaps it was the fact that the barn seemed much more organized than the house, which definitely would have been deserted, you already had a few ideas forming in mind. Grant simply raised an eyebrow at your comment but when he saw the look on your face, he chuckled softly before setting off, promising to return within a half hour.

“Right. Let’s see what we have here.” Talking out loud didn’t really do much to help, but once you started your work, you found that having something to do was exactly what you needed to stop worrying.

You knew exactly where Grant had gone and when he’d return and even though you had only known him for a few hours, you trusted that he would get you to your family come morning. That is all you were thinking of, most certainly not anything else. And nothing related to Grant; not about everything that had happened between the two of you since he had stepped out of his car all those hours ago… there was nothing to think about… and yet… why was it that you couldn’t get him out of your mind? He was everything in a man you had once hoped to find, but over the years your luck hadn’t exactly been the best when it came to finding love.

Grant Grant was… well… he was a mystery for the most part. You could tell that he was an honest man, decent, caring, funny even and it didn’t matter if he was older than you… he was still very handsome, in his own way; with the big rounded glasses and his button up shirt and that smile which had given you more heart flutterings than you’d ever felt. Sure there was a lot that you still didn’t know about him but… you were open to the idea of maybe meeting him while you were in Charleston and seeing if he was interested in spending time with you again. All of these thoughts had kept you so preoccupied that the rain and all the problems slipped your mind and by the time you finished the task you’d set yourself to in the barn, you didn’t realize when Grant had returned. For when you turned around to the doors, you saw him standing there, his arms crossed over his chest with a big grin that made your heart skip a beat.

“Grant! When did you get back? I didn’t hear you return.” Your eyes trailed down from his face to his chest and you realized that he’d gotten wet in the rain.

“Jus’ a minute ago, what is all this Y/N?” He looked pleasantly surprised but completely unbothered by his current state.

“Oh, well… I found all the supplies in the back when I was looking for some blankets we might use; there’s a lot of hay up top but plenty more was stored near the stables and there was some kindling for a fire…” Of course you started rambling at the sight of seeing him almost soaked to the bone. Who knows where the umbrella had gotten to at this point.

“It’s perfect fer us!” Grant said as he rolled the suitcases in a corner, grabbed one of the smaller blankets to dry off and then knelt down to light the fire.

 _Us_ . The word echoed around the barn as Grant had exclaimed in delight, not knowing that your heart had quickened once more. It was such a simple word that didn’t really mean anything, but it _could_ have, it sounded wonderful to your ears.

All you had really done was try to make the barn a little… comfortable… considering that you and Grant were both going to spend the night there… together. And though you had arranged two relatively biggish piles of hay to sleep on, they were placed at a distance. There had even been a handful of oil lamps stashed away on a high shelf that you’d managed to reach with little difficulty. All in all, the entire atmosphere of the barn was a lot more welcoming now. Once Grant started the fire, you moved around to walk towards the luggage when all of a sudden, his hand shot out and caught your wrist in a soft hold. He was still kneeling down and you stood frozen when you saw the look in his eye. Only a second later it had vanished and you blinked, thinking it was just your imagination.

“Ya alright there?” Grant asked softly, not letting go of you just yet.

“Yes. Yes, I’m okay… thanks to you.” You whispered softly. “I was just going to get some warm clothes. You should probably think about that too.” You couldn’t help but say, pointing out the fact that Grant was more in need of a change of clothes than you.

“Ah… well… I… uh… I seem ta have lost the blasted umbrella somewhere.” He confessed almost immediately and if it weren’t for the firelight, you might have missed the sheepish look on his face when he said it.

Hearing that you giggled in spite of yourself, until you caught Grant’s eye and saw that he really did seem slightly torn up over the fact. Pursing your lips together into a smile, you gently tugged on the hand holding yours and he stood up, making you aware of just how tall he was compared to you.

“I’m sure we can manage for one night without the umbrella.” You said to him, “Hopefully the storm will pass in the morning.”

“I did get a signal earlier; there’s a tow company coupla towns over, they said they’ll said someone in the mornin’ fer the car.”

  
“That’s good to know.”

The two of you had opened your suitcases long enough to grab some clothes and now, standing there, it dawned on you that apart from the cold and musty stables, there was nowhere else you could change. Grant seemed to have come to the same realization as soon as you had, but being the gentleman that he was, he offered a simple solution.

“I can… turn around and I’ll wait for ya to finish.”  He said, hoping to reassure you.

“Thank you.”

Were you blushing? You hoped you weren’t blushing, but all of a sudden everything seemed to have… stilled for a moment. It sounded silly even in your mind; there was nothing to be worried about, you trusted Grant enough to know that he was a man of his word. And sure enough, even before you turned around, he had his back to you already. Shaking your head clear from any… distracting thoughts… you took a deep breath and started undressing.

For the next minute or so, you were entirely focused on getting changed into warm and _dry_ clothes that you didn't think of the fact that Grant would take the opportunity - while facing away from you - to do the same and change as well. It was only after you'd slipped into a pair of leggings first, did you start unzip your wet dress… only… the zip of your dress was stuck and no amount of pulling on it was helping.

“Oh no.” Your voice was a surprised breath that should have gone unnoticed, except that it didn't

“Y/N? Are ya okay?” Grant asked from behind and you closed your eyes at his voice.

“W _as he still turned away from you?”_ You dared a quick glance over your shoulder and in that moment, you felt your heart stop for a split second.

There he was, standing with his back to you, in the process of changing his clothes as well… he had had the same idea to wear sweatpants first and by the time you looked to see where he was, the wet shirt he had been wearing was… off.

“I… it's my… my zipper. I think it's stuck.” How had you thought that staring at Grant in a wet shirt was the thing that would leave you breathless when clearly it was the sight of him shirtless that did the trick?

In an instant, Grant was standing right next to you, close enough that you could feel the heat from his body vibrating off you… and yet… it was a respectable distance away. The only problem was, you had turned around completely to look at him… at his bare chest that was… very… built. For a man of his age, Grant still had muscles in all the right places… and to your surprise as you continued to stare… a tattoo. But not just any kind, it was in blue ink with the words U.S.M.C on his right arm.

“I guess I forgot ta mention that I was in the army?” Grant said when he noticed where your gaze had fallen to.

“Uh… yeah… yeah. I guess you did.” Your initial guess had proved true; he was military after all.

“I can help with ya zip if ya want?” He offered to you without hesitation.

“Oh! Yes. Yes, sure.” Turning around once more, you brushed your hair to one side over your shoulder, exposing your back to Grant.

He had to step closer now, and the second you felt his fingers gently caressing your skin as he began to tug the zipper lower, you had to bite your lip to stifle a moan. Time seemed to have slowed down in that moment; it was just you and him and nothing else. No barn. No rainstorm. No disturbance of any kind. It was perfectly silent.

You were very much aware of the zip finally loosening and could feel the dress opening as Grant went lower. From where he stood, you could feel his breath on your cheek. But just when you thought it was over… you felt his fingers trailing up your spine… and as soon as you realized what he was doing, the clasp of your bra was unhooked as well.

“Oh Grant…” You were helpless to stay quiet for much longer.

And yet, the second those words left your mouth, Grant seemed to come to his sense and he took a step back, pulling his hand from you.

“I should… let ya get changed.” He said hurriedly.

“Th… thank you.” You managed to stammer out a thanks, hoping that the blush on your cheeks wasn’t visible.

But Grant had already gone over to the other side of the barn, leaving you to finish changing. The moment had passed. Hoping to calm your nerves and slow your heartbeats down, you reached for your suitcase once more. You had just the thing to break the tension that suddenly seemed to have gathered in the air around the two of you. Grant was tending to the fire, a blanket draped around him and as you sat down opposite, you noticed that there was a look in his eyes that you’d seen once before… at the start of your journey… when he had mentioned getting away from Wheelsy. The same sadness was reflected by the light of the flames now. Wordlessly, you passed him one of the boxes you had unpacked and gave him a soft smile when he glanced up and met your gaze.

“I figured we should eat something since there’s not much else we can do…” You said to Grant.

“Where’d ya get these?” Grant had not been expecting to find sandwiches inside.

“I made them this morning myself.” You replied, “My mother always told me to never take a trip without having emergency food, you never know what might happen.”  

“Damn sugarplum, these might just be the best ever sandwiches I’ve ever had the pleasure o’ having.” He grinned as he dug into them.

“Really? I didn’t think they were that good.” Blushing just a little bit, you tried your hardest not to beam at the compliment.

“Darlin’ this Pimento cheese sandwich is even better than the ones I’ve had at the Sunny Side Up Diner on Main Street! And the roast beef is heavenly.”

“I actually haven’t tried the sandwiches at the diner, sometimes I stop by in the mornings if I’ve forgotten to make breakfast.”

“Do ya love ta cook?”

“Oh! Yes, yes I do. Especially baking, I always try to have something ready over the weekend so that I can take it in on Monday for the kids.”

“Kids?” Grant frowned at the statement and then it dawned on him, “You’re a teacher then?” He asked.

“A substitute actually.” You realized that even though there had been plenty of things to talk about with Grant on the drive, somehow you’d missed out on telling him where you worked. “Sometimes I go in 3 days a week, for the primary school children, but usually I’m at the Blue Bells down on Jameson Street.”

“The bookstore, I figured you was one of the clever girls.” The way Grant said it with such conviction made you think that he really did mean it, genuinely. “She cooks, she teaches, she’s well-read… do ya have anyone special in your life?”

Somehow, the question caught you off-guard while you were halfway through your meal; there you were, sitting on a relatively cold ground in a barn in the middle of nowhere, with someone who was practically a stranger, but after what had almost happened with Grant, you figured he had to ask. Still, before you could say anything, Grant seemed to have sensed the delicate topic.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t’ve jus’ stuck my nose in yer personal life.” Feeling a little embarrassed, Grant got to his feet and ambled towards his bag.

“It’s fine.” You didn’t mind that he had asked, your hesitation had to do with something else. “There is no one special, not now anyway. There was a boyfriend once… a few years ago. Feels like a lifetime now.” Your voice sounded wistful to Grant as he sat back down, a flask in hand.

He took a sip of whatever was inside before passing it over to you. For a heartbeat of a second, you were tempted to raise an eyebrow at the gesture, but damn did you need a drink then and there; the weather aside, this whole day had been… an adventure to say the least.

“Thanks.”

“No problem… if ya don’t wanna talk about it... I understand.”

“There’s not much to tell really, we just sort of fell out of love I suppose. One of us wanted a commitment and the other…” You shrugged and took a big sip of… whisky, and almost coughed it back up.

“You wanted ta get married?” Grant asked, trying not to chuckle. He waved for the flask and you gladly handed it over while shaking your head.

“ _He_ wanted to get married… we were barely… 22.” The burning sensation of the whisky had started to turn into a warm tingle, “I wasn’t ready, I wanted to do things… see the world, find myself, just… be free for a bit longer y’know?” You noticed that Grant had fallen silent and was listening to you with such an intensity, you wondered if you’d said something wrong.

“That makes sense.” He finally spoke up and gave you a smile.

“What about you Grant?” You thought it was perfectly normal to turn the question back to him.

And yet, the moment the words had left your mouth, you saw the immediate change in Grant; more than just sadness, there was… pain. How could you have been so stupid to not realize that a man of his age might have been married or maybe even… oh you felt so foolish to have let it slip out so casually the way it had. There was a very strong part of yourself that was ready to jump up and go over to him, but the more rational side of you decided to wait and apologize for bringing up any bad memories.

“Grant, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to suddenly spring that on you.” Your voice was barely a whisper now but he heard your words and shook his head.

“Nah. It’s a’ight darlin’. Ya couldn’t have known” Grant said in reply

Before he said anything else however, you watched as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box - a velvet box that was generally known for one thing and one thing only - but you were surprised when Grant opened it to reveal not one but _two_ wedding rings nestled inside. He held the box in one hand but his eyes were focused on you.

“Mah wife left me for another man. This was over a year ago now mind ya… I dunno if you heard about it, but Starla Grant choosing Sheriff Bill Pardy over her husband was the talk o’ the town for… well… I think they still whisper about it when they think I can’t hear ‘em.” His lips had curled into a sad smile now as he turned his gaze to the fire in front of him, taking a sip from his flask as he spoke, “The divorce jus’ came through last week and I figured it was time to move on. Fer good. That’s why I’m headed ta Charleston, to sell these off. I been tryin’ mah hand at… dating… but women these days aren’t like they were back in the day.” He chuckled at some memory he seemed to be remembering. “I’m too old for the young ones and everyone my age is happily married. Or at least, they ain’t single.”

You had been listening to Grant without even thinking of interrupting to say something, he twirled the ring box even after having fallen silent; you’d hugged your legs close to your chest and had said nothing up until this point. His big, warm jacket was still draped around your shoulders, he’d insisted on you keeping it once you had changed into warm clothes. You pulled it around tighter as you stood up and walked around the fire, he remained where he was and you sat down beside him, your leg brushing against his.

“I know I have no right to say this, I don’t know Starla at all… I may have heard whispers of something last year while at school but I never pay attention to gossip, but if I’m being honest, your wife made a mistake when she left you for another man.” Your voice may have trembled a little but you were done being silent. “You’re one of a kind Grant Grant, a simple and sweet man who didn’t have to go out of his way to help a stranger like me today…”

“Well I couldn’t just leave a pretty young gal like ya out in the rain all alone.” Grant interrupted you as he finally turned to meet your gaze, now realizing how close you were to him.

You smiled at his words, “What I’m trying to say is, you’re a gentleman Grant, and there’s not many men these days like you… and if your wife couldn’t see that, then it’s her loss.”

And before you knew what was happening, you found yourself closing the distance between you and Grant as you placed a soft kiss on his cheek; it was an innocent gesture, nothing more and nothing less. After all that you both had been through that day, you did what you felt was right… ignoring the fact that your heart was pounding fast for the second time in as many minutes… you simply wanted to show Grant you were thankful for everything.

Grant furrowed his brow when he saw you pulling back from the kiss and the moment he turned to look at you, there were probably a dozen emotions and thoughts running through his mind; but the longer he stared at you, in complete silence, the only sound apart from your heavy breathing and his was the crackling of the fire, you found yourself trying to glance away but you couldn’t seem to do _anything_ at all. You could clearly see his blue eyes glistening with the reflection of the firelight now, behind his big round glasses, casting a reddish-orange glow to them, and you briefly wondered what he was seeing and thinking while staring at your eyes… but that thought was cut short when Grant moved closer and lifted a hand to rest against your neck and he bent down to brush his lips against yours… a chaste kiss but a kiss nonetheless.

“I’m sorry about that, I didn’t mean ta do…” Grant broke the kiss first and ran a hand over his bald head, reaching for the flask once more.

“Don’t be.” You whispered, trying to catch your breath, “I’m not sorry.” Your eyes lingered on him, watching his every move, knowing all too well that your heart was now in his hands.

“Y/N… you’re…” The meaning of your words made him face you, “I… I’m twice yer age sugarplum and I’m a divorced man. You an’ me… this…  this ain’t right.”

“Why?” Was he going to accept you or was he not? The whole day you had gone back and forth, flirting innocently with each other and now…

“I don’t want ta take advantage of ya.” He shook his head, tossing the drink aside, alcohol was not the answer.

You almost laughed at his words were it not for the sincerity in his voice and his eyes. Instead, you cupped his cheek and held his gaze with an equal if not serious intensity.  
“Grant, you’re not taking advantage of me. This isn’t some rainstorm seduction you’ve planned… I… I want this. I want… you.”

He listened to what you were saying to him, what you were revealing and yet… a part of him didn’t understand how such a beautiful, clever, young woman could even be remotely interested in… well… himself. Was it possible that after everything he’d been through, after losing his wife, that this was… a second chance? At finding happiness… with you?

“You want me?”

“Yes… I want you, Grant, all of you… if you’ll have me?”

In response to your question, Grant decided to show you his answer instead; he reached out and took your hand in his, pulling you closer to him once again and when he kissed you this time, it was a deeper, passionate kiss that told you everything you needed to know.

“Grant…” You whispered his name when you finally broke apart for air after, five? ten? kisses, vaguely aware of the fact that at some point, Grant had pulled you up onto his lap… with the realization that he was most definitely _not_ wearing anything under his sweatpants.

“Hmm?” He was busy trailing kisses along your neck, making it hard for you to think.

“Make love to me.” It wasn’t a question or a request and when he paused in between his kissing to glance up at you, with a knowing glint in his eyes, you knew that getting into his car that afternoon was the best decision you had ever made.

This time, he didn’t hesitate before he stood up and swiftly picked you up in his arms, walking over to where the makeshift beds were. “Yer wish is my command…” Grant said at last, giving you his adorable grin that made your heart skip a beat as he kissed you deeply, “Sugarplum.”


End file.
